After the long wait, Mac Ayres welcomed in the new year with something innovative and impressive. Through his lyrics, Mac introduces his hopes to discover new things about himself, bringing forth some pure, unmatched energy, seen on songs like “Better” and “Smiley Boy - Live.” Consequently, there were high expectations for a 2020 release a follow-up to continue his A-1 discography and seemingly invincible musical brilliance. Moreover, this concept was kept in his 2019 release Juicebox, presenting some raw, soulful performances, expertly balanced with live guitar and drum instrumentation and smooth R&B tones. You can tell the songs all derive from him, as his vocalism, multi-instrumentalism, and producing is what really makes the album so exhilarating. While he does work with some notable collaborators such as saxophonist Braxton Cook and producers Chris Anderson and Jack Dine, much of what makes this album so great is Mac’s self-generated musical ability. The instrumentation and fanciful lyrics presented on songs like “Under” and “Get to You Again” are intoxicating and stimulating, making this one of the warmest and most inviting pieces of music to come out of 2018. The following year, he took a fresh take on 90’s R&B/soul with the album Something To Feel. Songs like “Easy” and “Lonely” are not only examples of his songwriting prowess, but also his knowledge in creating exceptionally well-balanced tracks for listeners to become musically and lyrically hypnotized by. Mac Ayres’ 2017 debut album Drive Slow can be classified both as a collection of bedroom pop tracks that perfectly shape the late-night mood and a meditative journey for those rare, disconnected moments of relaxation. With inspiration from the likes of D’Angelo, Stevie Wonder, John Mayer, Marvin Gaye, J Dilla, and Amy Winehouse, the now twenty-three year old Berklee School of Music graduate crafted three magnificent albums that ultimately exposed his talent to the world and proved his strength in those aforementioned areas indefinitely. And since we cannot change our path, we may as well take Mac’s advice: to enjoy the ride and drive slow.Mac Ayres is known for a couple things: his illustrious voice, his outstanding multi-instrumentalism, his amazing songwriting, and his incredible producing. This sentiment may well be true but, throughout the album, we find no sense of anger or bitterness simply acceptance that this is a journey we all must go through. Looking for some kind of moral to take away, one might see this as a warning love may take you to soaring heights, but it has the power to take everything away in an instant. Somewhat surprisingly, despite the emotional journey, we end up right back where we started. He unsuccessfully pursues peace of mind in both tracks. The first line we hear from the singer states his reluctance to ‘wake up’ and this regret is repeated in the last verse. He begins the EP repeating the accusation of a previous lover that he had changed but he himself ends the EP trying to change the mind of another.
Indeed, a comparison of our first and last impressions of Mac, on Calvin’s Joint and Change Ya Mind respectively, is telling.
As we move through the album, we might expect a growing sense of maturation, of learning from mistakes, of a more adult cynicism but such progress isn’t forthcoming.
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